Ho-Chunk’s Dan Brown Elected to Chamber Board of Directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Feb. 23, 2017)

Contact: Erik Greenfield, Communications Manager, 608-443-1952 (office), 608-669-7884 (cell)

MADISON – Today the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce announced the election of Dan Brown, Executive Manager of Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison, to its board of directors. Brown joins 48 current business and community leaders representing a broad cross-section of the Greater Madison economy on the Chamber board.

Dan Brown has worked for the Ho-Chunk Nation for more than 23 years and has been the Executive Manager of Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison since 2000. He also served a four-year term as an elected legislator for the Ho-Chunk Nation from 2007 to 2011 and was subsequently elected to serve as Vice President by the Legislature.

“Seats on the Chamber board do not open up very often. In fact, this year there is only one seat available, and the board wanted to seize this opportunity as a way to honor and recognize the Ho-Chunk Nation’s rich history and vital role in building this community,” said Chamber President Zach Brandon. “Dan Brown’s experience and business perspective will be a tremendous asset to the Chamber board, and we look forward to working with him as we write the next chapter in Greater Madison’s story.”

“I am honored to join the Chamber board and represent Ho-Chunk Gaming in Greater Madison’s business community in a new way,” Brown said. “I want to thank the members of the board for valuing the qualities I bring to this role, and I am excited to continue to work on the important issues facing our regional economy and the Ho-Chunk people.”

Click here for the full roster of the Greater Madison Chamber Board of Directors.

About the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce:
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business with nearly 1,300 organizations – ranging from one-person shops to corporations with more than 10,000 employees – working to bring the Greater Madison area to its full potential. The Greater Madison region is a leader in innovation. From cutting-edge technologies to distinctive retail shops to inventive services and products, our members vary greatly but are united by the region’s entrepreneurial spirit. More information can be found at greatermadisonchamber.com.

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Wegner CPAs Announces New Staff

Madison, WI – Wegner CPAs is pleased to introduce the new, talented employees that have joined our firm. Each person brings unique expertise and will enhance our service to clients in the departments they join.

Zak Bloom, CPA, Director of Local Government Services

Zak is the newest member of our leadership team as the director of local government services and comes to us with 14 years of experience working for municipalities in Wisconsin. He will be instrumental in expanding our utility and municipal audit practice with his knowledge and expertise in this industry.

Carrie Shefchik, Supervisor-Accounting; Madison

Our accounting solutions team is pleased to welcome Carrie Shefchik. She comes to us with over 15 years of experience providing accounting to a variety of business clients. She will work with our team to provide outsourced accounting and QuickBooks software support to current and future clients.

Seth Kuehnel, CPA, Supervisor-Tax; Milwaukee

We welcome Seth to our expanding tax and business services team. He joins us with six years of experience in public accounting and will work out of our Waukesha office. Seth offers expertise in a variety of tax and accounting services for individuals and businesses. In addition, Seth is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor and offers accounting software support.

Whitney Mauger, CPA, Supervisor-Tax; Madison

Whitney is a new supervisor in our tax and business services department. She comes to us with over six years of experience in public accounting. She enjoys working with a wide variety of clients and has expertise in the manufacturing and supply chain industry. Whitney will assist with tax planning, tax compliance, and multi-state returns.

Ryan Stucki, Staff Accountant-Tax; Baraboo

Ryan joins us as a staff accountant in our tax and business services department after having recently graduated from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a bachelors degree in accounting. Ryan will work with individual and business clients in our Baraboo office assisting them with tax planning and preparation.

Ying Zhang, Staff Accountant-Audit; Madison

Ying is a new staff accountant in our assurance department. She has a masters of professional accountancy from DePaul University. Ying also has her masters of science in financial analysis from the University of San Francisco and her bachelors degree in economics from Xiangtan University. Ying will work with our nonprofit clients performing audits and completing appropriate tax returns.

Mindy Peterson, Bookkeeper; Baraboo

Mindy joins us as a bookkeeper in our Baraboo office with 26 years of varied bookkeeping experience. She will perform outsourced accounting for our business and nonprofit clients. Mindy is also a QuickBooks ProAdvisor and will provide training and technical support.

Kimberly Brewer, Administrative Assistant; Madison

Kimberly comes to us with a background in municipal government and an associates degree in business management. She will assist our managing partner, firm accountant, and HR manager. We are very excited to have additional support in Madison to enhance our focus on firm-wide programs, policies and strategic initiatives for Wegner CPAs.

Wegner CPAs also welcomes five interns to our Madison office who continue to pursue degrees at local and state universities. We are happy to be developing these new staff in the early stages of their accounting careers and help them succeed in the future.

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About Wegner CPAs

Headquartered in Madison, WI, Wegner CPAs brings a unique perspective to the practice of accounting and business consulting.  The firm specializes in family-owned businesses, cooperatives, manufacturers, nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and school districts with a complete range of accounting, audit, tax, and consulting services across the lifecycle of the organization. For more information, visit www.wegnercpas.com or call 888.204.7665.

Business and Labor Closely Aligned on Madison Common Council Endorsements

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Feb. 22, 2017)

Contact: Erik Greenfield, Communications Manager, 608-443-1952 (office), 608-669-7884 (cell)

MADISON – Today the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors announced its endorsements for the Madison Common Council elections taking place April 4. With representation from many prominent and emerging companies throughout Greater Madison, an endorsement from the 48-member Chamber board signals a candidate’s strength on business issues and vision to grow Greater Madison’s economy.

The Chamber’s endorsement decisions closely mirror candidates endorsed by the Building Trades of South Central Wisconsin.

“In contested races for Madison Common Council, the choice for business and labor alike is clear. To have the endorsement of both the Chamber and Building Trades demonstrates a candidate’s understanding of how economies work and how best to foster job growth in our region,” said Chamber President Zach Brandon. “It is important that we not let up on the economic momentum we are seeing in Greater Madison, and these candidates have the right experience, passion and commitment to help us continue to drive that momentum.”

The Chamber endorsed the following candidates for Madison Common Council:

District 1: Barbara Harrington-McKinney
District 3: Amanda Hall
District 5: Shiva Bidar-Sielaff
District 7: Steve King
District 8: Zach Wood
District 9: Paul Skidmore
District 10: Maurice Cheeks
District 11: Arvina Martin
District 12: Larry Palm
District 13: Sara Eskrich
District 14: Sheri Carter
District 16: Denise DeMarb
District 19: Mark Clear
District 20: Matt Phair

The release from the Building and Construction Trades Council regarding their candidate endorsements is attached here.

About the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce:
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business with nearly 1,300 organizations – ranging from one-person shops to corporations with more than 10,000 employees – working to bring the Greater Madison area to its full potential. The Greater Madison region is a leader in innovation. From cutting-edge technologies to distinctive retail shops to inventive services and products, our members vary greatly but are united by the region’s entrepreneurial spirit. More information can be found at greatermadisonchamber.com.

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Breunig Named Mortgage Underwriter

Settlers bank board of directors and executive management are pleased to announce that Mary Breunig has been selected as Mortgage Underwriter.  Mary joined Settlers bank in 2015 as Mortgage Operations Processor, and has more than 20 years of financial industry experience. Mary is a graduate of Edgewood College with a B.S. in Business Administration/ Economics.

Trey Parker’s Cannibal! The Musical Makes U.S. Premiere at Overture

For immediate release: Monday, February 20, 2017

Contact: Sarah Knab, Overture Center, 608.258.4438 / sknab@overture.org

Trey Parker’s Cannibal! The Musical Makes U.S. Premiere at Overture
“Rambunctious, raunchy and ridiculous … hits all the high notes!” – Mooney on Theatre
“Refreshingly ludicrous” – The New York Times

Madison, Wis. – Overture is proud to present the U.S. premiere of Trey Parker’s Cannibal! The Musical in the historic Capitol Theater Tuesday, March 14 – Sunday, March 19, 2017. Based on Parker’s fan-favorite film of the same name, Cannibal! The Musical is a fun-filled, action packed, delightfully campy night of musical comedy for mature audiences.

With songs like “When I Was On Top of You” and “Meat my Destiny” this parody of classic American musicals takes Oklahoma and adds a dash of Friday the 13th to cook up a deliciously ridiculous evening of musical theatre.

“I’ve been a long-time Trey Parker fan, and when I saw the film version of Cannibal! The Musical I loved it,” said Bond, co-creator and director. “As fans of the original, we’ve made sure to stay true to its campy spirit, while adding more goofs and hilarious songs. It’s allowed us to bring something new to the stage that has the same vintage Trey Parker wit. Now with our stellar cast – a range of talented comedians and musical theatre pros – we’ve got the perfect group to bring this creation to life.”

Originally a cult classic movie, Cannibal! The Musical was written by South Park and The Book of Mormon’s Trey Parker, conceived when he was a film student at the University of Colorado. It was Parker’s first time working with his creative partner, Matt Stone. This theatrical production bears all the hallmarks of a Parker-Stone collaboration: irreverent humor, uproarious lyrics, and catchy tunes. Full of songs, dance and laughs, this production will mark the U.S. premiere of a re-vamped show featuring additional book, lyrics and music by Christopher Bond (Evil Dead – The Musical!), Aaron Eyre and Trevor Martin.

Cannibal! The Musical follows five miners from Utah who embark on a treacherous journey to stake their claim on land in the Colorado Territory. Led by their reluctant guide, Alferd Packer, the group encounters trappers, natives and a whole lot of tom-foolery before losing their way in the Rocky Mountains. When they are found days later, Alferd is the only one left standing, and the Sheriff arrests him for cannibalism. Intrepid reporter Polly Pry is determined to tell the REAL story… that is, if she doesn’t fall in love with the unsuspecting Packer first.

Tickets, on sale now, start at $30 and are available in person at the Overture Center Ticket Office (201 State Street), online at overture.org or by phone at 608.258.4141.

For an additional $15, attendees can arrive prior to the show (6 p.m. on Thursday, March 16, 2017) for Overture’s Get Social program to expand upon their experience and receive a discounted performance ticket. A Get Social ticket includes appetizers, activities such as 8-bit Cannibal gaming, cannibal trivia, old time photo booth, and more. Overture’s Get Social is presented by Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. More information is available at overture.org/getsocial.

Short show description:

The highly anticipated new production tells the hilarious, and (mostly) true story of Alferd Packer, the only person ever convicted of cannibalism in America– the show follows Alferd and his companions, on the hunt for Colorado gold, when they lose their way in the wilderness and are forced to consider unthinkable acts: Singing!…Dancing!…and possibly eating somebody.

Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wisconsin features seven state-of-the-art performance spaces and five galleries where national and international touring artists, ten resident companies and hundreds of local artists engage people in over half a million educational and artistic experiences each year. Overture.org

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